Granny Sun presented it to her mistress and whispered, "Madam, did the Taoist priest reveal a heavenly secret and get struck by lightning?!"

Madam Wu had guessed this as well, and felt slightly guilty.

If she hadn't kept pressing and urging him, the old Taoist wouldn't have acted this way...

"Let's go, hurry down the mountain! Go back, hurry back!"

Ignoring her disheveled state, Madam Wu called out to everyone and quickly left.

They were terrified that another bolt of lightning would strike her down too!

The master and servants finally managed to get into the carriage and hurriedly returned to the new capital.

After traveling for most of the day, Madam Wu finally felt a little relieved.

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. Not wanting to waste a moment, she immediately instructed the coachman to go to the palace gate and present a plaque requesting an audience with the Empress.

If the Empress's mother wants to see the Empress, who dares to stop her?

So, after a short while, Madam Wu was sitting in Kunning Palace drinking tea to calm her nerves.

Seeing that her mother's clothes were somewhat disheveled and her expression was off, the Empress asked, "Mother, where have you come from? Did you encounter anyone on the road who made things difficult for you?"

"No, no!" Madam Wu quickly waved her hand, drank the tea in one gulp, and then asked the Empress to dismiss all the palace maids and eunuchs before taking her daughter's hand and explaining carefully.

From the moment she met the old hermit on the mountain until she asked him to perform divination, she didn't miss a single word.

Finally, she lowered her voice and whispered, "No matter how I think about it, I feel that the old sage's words make sense."

"The Li family, who fled famine, are now more prosperous than our Marquis's mansion. They truly owe it all to that girl."

"Moreover, a few days ago many people said that the girl does have the ability to turn misfortune into good fortune, and that all the dangerous things she encountered ended up with her coming out unharmed."

"If she hadn't stolen your good fortune as Empress, she would have died in the North long ago, a girl from a humble peasant family. How could she be so pampered and favored?"

The Empress frowned, thinking of Princess Kangle, whom she also disliked.

The Third Princess was the Emperor's own daughter, but in terms of favor, she ranked after Princess Kangle.

To be honest, a few years ago, Princess Kang Le and the Third Princess had a fight, and in her anger, she locked Princess Kang Le up for a while.

After the emperor gave her a severe scolding, it seemed that he no longer liked her.

Could it be that this little girl really stole her good fortune?

The more she thought about it, the more her head ached, so she called to the palace maid outside the door and asked for a bowl of ginseng soup.

The palace maids were not the two she usually trusted, but she was still somewhat familiar with them.

Perhaps to please her mistress, she whispered, "Your Majesty, your headache has gotten much better these past few days."

"Why has it flared up again these past two days? Shall I summon the imperial physician to check your pulse?"

Before the Empress could respond, Madam Wu had a sudden inspiration, raised her hand to stop the Empress from drinking her ginseng tea, and asked a few questions.

The Empress was puzzled, but she still answered carefully.

Madam Wu immediately dismissed the palace maid and said, "Silly girl, there are many things you don't know while you're in the palace."

"A few days ago, Princess Kangle fell ill, very seriously ill, and almost died. But I heard that the Emperor bestowed upon her a hundred-year-old ginseng, and she has recently recovered."

"Think carefully, during the time she was sick, weren't you feeling completely comfortable? Now that she's recovered, have you started having headaches again?!"

The Empress squinted, examined the details carefully, and her expression changed.

If she only believed five-tenths of what her mother said about the old Taoist priest earlier, she now believed eight-tenths.

She couldn't help but ask, "Did Mother ask the old Taoist priest how to regain her good fortune?"

"Of course I asked!" Madam Wu's expression was somewhat complicated, and she lowered her voice even further.

"The old Taoist priest said that if you take a bowl of Princess Kangle's heart blood, you can regain your luck and soon become pregnant and give birth."

Heart's blood?!

The Empress was so startled that she spilled the ginseng tea in her hand!

"Mother, did that old Taoist really say that? He's trying to take Princess Kangle's life!"

Madam Wu knew this, of course, so she was also a little uneasy. "That's what the Taoist priest said, and he was struck by lightning right after he finished speaking. No one knows where he went, only a blood-stained whisk was left behind."

"Perhaps I revealed a heavenly secret and incurred divine punishment, for even the pavilion we were sitting in collapsed, almost crushing me to death!"

The Empress steadied herself, paced around a few times, and said, "Mother, you go back first. I want to test the truth of this matter."

"Otherwise, if trouble arises, not only will the Li family and the Marquis of Xinting not let it go, but the Emperor will be even more furious with me!"

"Alright, you should be careful too. If you need any help from home, just send someone to let them know." Madam Wu had also been quite frightened today, so she quickly got up to take her leave.

The Empress instructed, "Mother, do not tell anyone about what happened today, not even Father. And those servants, keep quiet about it too."

"Don't worry, I will make all the arrangements." Madam Wu agreed and then left the palace.

The Emperor paced back and forth in his bedchamber countless times. Looking up at the sun already setting outside, he steeled himself, summoned a palace maid, and gave her detailed instructions for a long time…

In the Li family courtyard in Suijintan, the old lady looked quite well after her trip to the city.

When she got home, she saw Xingxing and Yueya playing, and she even joined in for a while.

Li Zhensheng was worried about his elderly mother and came home early, and was happy to see her.

After his mother sat down, he stayed with her and talked to her.

Yuanyuan will be a month old soon.

The birth and the baby's third-day celebration both took place at the old house, but for the full moon celebration, a few tables would definitely be set up at the Earl's mansion to entertain relatives and friends.

It's not that the family is greedy for those congratulatory gifts; it's just that such occasions are an opportunity for various wealthy families to visit each other.

Connections are something you build through back-and-forth interactions and connections.

Grandma Li no longer manages the household affairs; her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law take care of everything, big and small.

So she called Tao Hongying, Zhao Yuru, and Wenjuan over to discuss it.

Wan'er also called Chunxiu over to listen, and then went back to relay the information to Wan'er.

Tao Hongying had previously resolved to go out more and not stay at home all the time.

At this moment, she accepted the task and said, "Mother, leave this to me."

"Of course, Third Sister-in-law and Wenjuan will also lend a hand! If there are any unfamiliar things, I will ask Madam Wen to give me some pointers."

Grandma Li nodded and replied, "Alright, don't worry, just do your best. Everyone knows we come from a poor farming family. If we do well, everyone will be amazed; if we don't, no one will laugh at us."

Wenjuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Grandma, it seems like our family's background is quite advantageous."

Everyone laughed along, and the matter was settled.

Jiayin changed her clothes and came out, not knowing what was going on, when her mother conscripted her to work together on the banquet menu.

Jiayin was certainly not stumped; the delicious food in her mind came to her effortlessly.

She even planned to prepare a big cake for little Yuanyuan.

Everyone offered suggestions, creating a lively atmosphere.

Just then, Shui Ling suddenly ran in from outside, exclaiming in surprise.

"Princess! Someone from the palace has arrived, saying that Her Majesty the Empress has bestowed a reward upon you!"

The Empress has bestowed a reward?

Everyone was stunned.

The Empress has never been friendly to the Li family; what's gotten into her today?!

Four chapters, eight thousand words! Hua Hua did a fantastic job, right? It's the last day of the month, so hurry up and vote for this must-read, my darlings! And don't forget to click "like" and give it a five-star review!